Gyro



Sept. 26, 1944. R. M. HEINTZ GYRO Filed Oct. 12. 19452 INVENToR. EAL PH M ff/fvrz.

ATTO/PNEK Patented Sept. 26, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GYRO Ralph M. Heintz, Cleveland, Ohio, assigner to Jack & Heintz, Inc., Bedford, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 12, 1942, Serial No. 461,833

2 Claims.

This invention relates in general toA gyro appa-V and thence to the rotor. This is a difficult and time consuming operation due to the fact that the gimbal frames are angular and not straight and consequently diculty is encountered in casting the angular hollow frame.

It is therefore one of the primary objects of this invention to so cast the gimbal frame as to obtain the desired angular passageway and yet have the only hollow section a straight one.

To this end it is proposed to cast the gimbal frame so that the straight portion leading from the outer air intake trunnion is hollow and the portion leading therefrom to the inner trunnion dished out to receive a plate that not only houses the inner trunnion bearing assembly but also forms a top cover to the dished out portion so as v to constitute a continuation of the hollow air passage that is cast in the adjoining gimbal section.

With theforegoing and other objects in View, the invention resides in the combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter set forth in the following specification and appended claims, certain embodiments of which are disclosed in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly in section, of an horizon gyro assembly, showing the rotor pivot and gimbal trunnion and the air passage extending therebetween; and

Figure 2 is a View taken in the direction of arrows 2-2 and turned 180 to show in elevation the pivot bearing housing and plate for carrying the same and for closing the upper portion of the gimbal frame to form an air passage.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the gyro rotor, not shown, is carried in the usual housing l, and the inner gimbal trunnion 2 is carried in the bearing assembly including ball bearings 3 and ball races 4. The trunnion 2 is provided with a plurality of apertures 5 leading to the usual air jet adjacent the gyro rotor buckets to impinge against the same to cause rotation thereof.

The gimbal frame 6, which carries the pivot bearing assembly, is provided with outer trunnions, such as shown at 1, for movement within an outer frame, not shown. The gimbal frame, being preferably made of magnesium for lightness in weight is cast so as to have its arm 6a, only, hollow to provide a straight air passage 8. The

trunnion 1 has an air inlet 9 communicating with passage 8. In the same casting operation the upper arm 6b is formed substantially U-shaped with its top side open.

In assembling the device a top plate l0 is used and which is releasably secured in place to the gimbal frame by screw bolts il. The main body portion of plate I0 is substantially round and acts as a housing for the bearing assembly for trun- 10 nion 2. The plate also has an extension Illa that covers the U-shaped gimbal arm 6b so as to thus form an air passage I2 that leads to the apertures 5 and that is a continuation of air passage 8 extending to the air intake 9.

From the foregoing it will be readily seen that there has been provided a simple gimbal frame construction that not only adequately provides the necessary air passages but which'also lends itself to being cast in quantity production readily and simply by reason of the fact that ony one short straight'gimbal arm 6a is cast hollow, as distinguished from the usual practice of casting a hollow curved or angular gimbal necessitating laborious and time consuming die casting and machining operationst I claim:

1. In combination in a gyro assembly and a gimbal frame suspension therefor including inner and outer gimbal trunnions both provided with air intake apertures for spinning the rotor of said gyro and air passages between said two sets of air intake apertures, said air passages being formed by die casting hollow one gimbal arm only adjacent said outer trunnion, one gimbal arm adjacent said inner trunnion and said first named gimbal arm being die cast to have a substantially U-shaped cross section and a releasable cover platefor carrying the bearing assembly for said inner trunnion and for covering said U-shaped gimbal arm for providing a continuous air passage between the air intakes of said inner and outer trunnions. Y

2. In combination in a gyro assembly and a gimbal frame suspension therefor including inner and outer gimbal trunnions provided with bearing assemblies and with air intake apertures for spinning of the rotor of said gyro, said gimbal frame being die cast to include one straight hollow arm and one adjacent arm having a substantially U- shaped cross section and a detachable cover plate for the latter to form within the two gimbal arms a continuous passageway connecting the air intakesof said inner and outer gimbal trunnions, said cover plate being unitary in construction and adapted to house one of the bearing assemblies of said inner gimbal trunnions.

RALPH M. HEINTZ. 

